The France international played a pivotal role in Leicester’s unlikely title success last season, before making a summer switch to Chelsea following an impressive Euro 2016 campaign.

The 26-year-old has gone from strength to strength, powering Chelsea to the Premier League crown and capping his own impressive season by claiming the PFA and Football Writers’ Player of the Year Awards.

N’Golo Kante received his Football Writer of the Year Award on Thursday night (Picture: Getty)

N’Golo Kante is the first player to win back-to-back Premier League titles with different clubs (Picture: Getty)

‘We got lucky. I sent flowers to Leicester for letting us have him,’ Emenalo told The Evening Standard at the FWA ceremony last night.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has already highlighted the need to strengthen his squad over the summer and Kante agrees defending their title and coping with the rigours of Champions League football will represent a huge test.